A Wuhan court just made AI production costs a legal factor in copyright infringement cases
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A court in Wuhan, China, has established a precedent by including AI production costs as a legal factor in calculating copyright infringement damages. This ruling addresses a dispute involving an AI-generated short drama that was copied and republished with altered titles and advertisements shortly after its release. The court classified the work as a protectable audiovisual asset because human employees exercised creative control over scripting, prompt design, output selection, and editing. By treating the AI merely as a tool, the decision reinforces existing Chinese copyright protections for works created with artificial intelligence assistance. In addition to traditional metrics like runtime and distribution reach, the judgment specifically accounted for token usage and licensing fees associated with the AI tools. The plaintiff was awarded 20,000 RMB, approximately $2,900, in damages for the infringement. The court also advised creators to maintain detailed records of scripts, prompt drafts, and project files to support future legal claims.
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